Zenith Bank Africa’s Best Bank title at the 2026 Euromoney Awards highlights its growth, digital innovation and leadership in African banking

Zenith Bank Plc has been named Africa’s Best Bank and Nigeria’s Best Bank at the 2026 Euromoney Awards for Excellence, with the awards presented on Thursday, 16 July 2026, at The Peninsula London Hotel in the United Kingdom.

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The recognition reinforces the Nigerian lender’s growing influence across the continent’s financial sector and celebrates its performance in banking, digital innovation and customer service.

The Zenith Bank Africa’s Best Bank award marks one of the most prestigious honours in global banking, while the Nigeria award represents the second consecutive year the bank has secured the national title at the Euromoney Awards for Excellence.

Euromoney evaluates financial institutions based on key areas including business strategy, profitability, risk management, technological transformation and broader impact on customers and economies.

The 2026 edition attracted more than 770 entries from major global banks, including HSBC, Morgan Stanley, Citibank, Barclays, Standard Bank and DBS Bank of Singapore.

Zenith Bank Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Adaora Umeoji, OON, said the awards reflected the confidence of customers and the dedication of the bank’s workforce.

“We are deeply honoured by these recognitions from Euromoney. Being recognised as Africa’s Best Bank and Nigeria’s Best Bank reflects the trust of our customers, the dedication of our unicorn workforce, and our unwavering commitment to building a truly African global financial institution,” Umeoji said.

She added that the recognition would encourage the bank to continue supporting financial inclusion, business growth and economic development across Africa.

Umeoji also acknowledged the role of regulators in creating an environment that supports the bank’s expansion across different markets. She dedicated the achievement to Zenith Bank founder Jim Ovia, whose vision and leadership helped shape the institution’s growth.

The award comes after a strong financial performance by Zenith Bank. In the 2025 financial year, the bank recorded ₦4.19 trillion in gross earnings, representing a six per cent increase year-on-year, while profit after tax reached ₦1.04 trillion.

The lender also improved its asset quality by reducing its non-performing loan ratio from 4.7 per cent to 3.8 per cent and rewarded shareholders with a record total dividend of ₦10 per share, amounting to ₦410.69 billion.

Beyond financial growth, Zenith Bank has continued to expand investments in technology, artificial intelligence and digital banking solutions as part of its strategy to strengthen customer experience and improve access to financial services.

The bank has also increased its pan-African presence by expanding trade and transaction banking services designed to connect businesses across key markets.

The latest Euromoney recognition adds to Zenith Bank’s growing list of international achievements.

The bank was recently ranked Nigeria’s number one bank by Tier-1 Capital for the seventeenth consecutive year in The Banker’s 2026 Top 1000 World Banks Ranking.

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With continued investment in innovation, governance and sustainable banking practices, Zenith Bank’s latest achievement highlights the increasing competitiveness of African financial institutions on the global stage.